Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A method of determining that a high speed signaling bus in an electronic system has been probed, comprising: in a secure environment, determining secure calibration coefficients, at specific environmental conditions, for a calibrated item associated with the high speed signaling bus; in the secure environment, storing the secure calibration coefficients in a non-volatile storage; providing a coefficient watchdog in the electronic system, the coefficient watchdog, when the electronic system is operating and re-calibrates the calibrated item, determining if a new calibration coefficient resulting from the re-calibration is acceptable; if not acceptable, asserting, by the coefficient watchdog, a potentially probed high speed signaling bus condition.
A method to detect if a high-speed signaling bus in an electronic system has been tampered with (probed). First, in a secure environment, determine and store secure calibration coefficients for components (calibrated items) associated with the bus, based on specific environmental conditions. Then, include a "coefficient watchdog" in the system. This watchdog, when the system is running and recalibrates the bus components, checks if the new calibration values are acceptable. If a new calibration value is not acceptable, the watchdog signals that the bus may have been probed.
2. The method of claim 1 , the specific environmental conditions including at least one of voltage and temperature.
The method of determining if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which involves determining secure calibration coefficients in a secure environment for a calibrated item associated with the bus and using a coefficient watchdog to check new calibration values, considers specific environmental conditions including voltage and temperature when determining the secure calibration coefficients.
3. The method of claim 1 , the non-volatile storage being an electrically programmable fuse (eFuse).
The method of determining if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which involves determining secure calibration coefficients in a secure environment for a calibrated item associated with the bus and using a coefficient watchdog to check new calibration values, stores the secure calibration coefficients in a non-volatile memory implemented as an electrically programmable fuse (eFuse).
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising: performing the re-calibration when a bit error rate (BER) increases to a prespecified value.
The method of determining if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which involves determining secure calibration coefficients in a secure environment for a calibrated item associated with the bus and using a coefficient watchdog to check new calibration values, performs recalibration of the bus components when the bit error rate (BER) on the bus increases to a predefined level.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising: performing the re-calibration when the electronic system is re-booted.
The method of determining if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which involves determining secure calibration coefficients in a secure environment for a calibrated item associated with the bus and using a coefficient watchdog to check new calibration values, performs recalibration of the bus components when the electronic system is restarted (rebooted).
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising; performing the re-calibration at prespecified intervals.
The method of determining if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which involves determining secure calibration coefficients in a secure environment for a calibrated item associated with the bus and using a coefficient watchdog to check new calibration values, performs recalibration of the bus components at predefined time intervals.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising: the coefficient watchdog determining if the new calibration coefficient is acceptable comprises: finding a value in the secure calibration coefficients that equals a value of the new calibration coefficient; determining if a nearest determined calibration point having the value of the new calibration point is too far away, given current environmental conditions; if the nearest determined calibration point having the value of the new calibration coefficient point is not too far away, then accepting the new calibration coefficient; and if the nearest secure calibration coefficient point having the value of the new calibration coefficient point is too far away, then asserting the potentially probed high speed signaling bus condition.
The method of determining if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which involves determining secure calibration coefficients in a secure environment for a calibrated item associated with the bus and using a coefficient watchdog to check new calibration values, determines if a new calibration coefficient is acceptable by: 1) finding a matching value in the stored secure calibration coefficients; 2) checking if the nearest secure calibration point with that value is too far away, considering current environmental conditions; 3) accepting the new coefficient if the nearest point is close enough; and 4) signaling a potential probe if the nearest point is too far away.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein determining if the nearest determined calibration point having the value of the new calibration point is too far away uses a bounding box.
The method of determining if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which involves determining secure calibration coefficients in a secure environment for a calibrated item associated with the bus and using a coefficient watchdog to check new calibration values, and where the acceptability check involves determining if a nearest calibration point is too far away, uses a "bounding box" technique to determine if the nearest determined calibration point is too far away.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein determining if the nearest determined calibration point having the value of the new calibration point is too far away uses a secure calibration vector.
The method of determining if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which involves determining secure calibration coefficients in a secure environment for a calibrated item associated with the bus and using a coefficient watchdog to check new calibration values, and where the acceptability check involves determining if a nearest calibration point is too far away, uses a "secure calibration vector" technique to determine if the nearest determined calibration point is too far away.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the calibrated item is a phase rotator.
The method of determining if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which involves determining secure calibration coefficients in a secure environment for a calibrated item associated with the bus and using a coefficient watchdog to check new calibration values, uses a phase rotator as the component (calibrated item) on the high-speed bus that is calibrated.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the calibrated item is a terminator.
The method of determining if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which involves determining secure calibration coefficients in a secure environment for a calibrated item associated with the bus and using a coefficient watchdog to check new calibration values, uses a terminator as the component (calibrated item) on the high-speed bus that is calibrated.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the calibrated item is a driver impedance.
The method of determining if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which involves determining secure calibration coefficients in a secure environment for a calibrated item associated with the bus and using a coefficient watchdog to check new calibration values, calibrates the driver impedance as the component (calibrated item) on the high-speed bus.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the calibrated item is a pre-emphasis driver.
The method of determining if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which involves determining secure calibration coefficients in a secure environment for a calibrated item associated with the bus and using a coefficient watchdog to check new calibration values, calibrates a pre-emphasis driver as the component (calibrated item) on the high-speed bus.
14. An electronic system comprising: a high speed signaling bus having a calibrated item to optimize signal transmission on the high speed signaling bus; a secure calibration coefficients non-volatile storage to hold calibration coefficients determined at a secure location; a control circuitry to re-calibrate the calibrated item and determine a new currently active calibration coefficient for the calibrated item; a coefficient watchdog having access to the secure calibration coefficients, the new currently active calibration coefficient, and at least one environmental condition, the coefficient watchdog configured to output a potentially probed high speed signaling bus if the new currently active calibration coefficient is unacceptable for the at least one environmental condition.
An electronic system that detects if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed. The system includes: a high-speed bus with a component (calibrated item) that is calibrated to optimize signal transmission; a secure, non-volatile memory storing calibration coefficients determined in a secure location; control circuitry that recalibrates the calibrated item and determines a new calibration value; and a "coefficient watchdog". The watchdog has access to the stored calibration coefficients, the new calibration value, and environmental conditions. It flags the bus as potentially probed if the new calibration value is not acceptable for the current environmental conditions.
15. The electronic system of claim 14 , the non-volatile storage being an electrically programmable fuse (eFuse).
The electronic system that detects if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which includes a high-speed bus with a calibrated item, a secure non-volatile storage, control circuitry to recalibrate the calibrated item, and a coefficient watchdog, uses an electrically programmable fuse (eFuse) as the non-volatile memory.
16. The electronic system of claim 14 , the calibrated item being a phase rotator.
The electronic system that detects if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which includes a high-speed bus with a calibrated item, a secure non-volatile storage, control circuitry to recalibrate the calibrated item, and a coefficient watchdog, uses a phase rotator as the calibrated item.
17. The electronic system of claim 14 , the calibrated item being a driver impedance.
The electronic system that detects if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which includes a high-speed bus with a calibrated item, a secure non-volatile storage, control circuitry to recalibrate the calibrated item, and a coefficient watchdog, uses a driver impedance as the calibrated item.
18. The electronic system of claim 14 , the calibrated item being a terminator.
The electronic system that detects if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which includes a high-speed bus with a calibrated item, a secure non-volatile storage, control circuitry to recalibrate the calibrated item, and a coefficient watchdog, uses a terminator as the calibrated item.
19. The electronic system of claim 14 , the calibrated item being a pre-emphasis driver.
The electronic system that detects if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which includes a high-speed bus with a calibrated item, a secure non-volatile storage, control circuitry to recalibrate the calibrated item, and a coefficient watchdog, uses a pre-emphasis driver as the calibrated item.
20. The electronic system of claim 14 , the control circuitry configured to re-calibrate the calibrated item at bring up of the electronic system.
The electronic system that detects if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which includes a high-speed bus with a calibrated item, a secure non-volatile storage, control circuitry to recalibrate the calibrated item, and a coefficient watchdog, is configured such that the control circuitry recalibrates the calibrated item when the system starts up (at bring up).
21. The electronic system of claim 14 , the control circuitry configured to re-calibrate the calibrated item when a bit error rate on the high speed signaling bus exceeds a predetermined value.
The electronic system that detects if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which includes a high-speed bus with a calibrated item, a secure non-volatile storage, control circuitry to recalibrate the calibrated item, and a coefficient watchdog, is configured such that the control circuitry recalibrates the calibrated item when the bit error rate (BER) on the high-speed bus exceeds a predetermined threshold.
22. The electronic system of claim 14 , the control circuitry configured to re-calibrate the calibrated item at prespecified intervals.
The electronic system that detects if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which includes a high-speed bus with a calibrated item, a secure non-volatile storage, control circuitry to recalibrate the calibrated item, and a coefficient watchdog, is configured such that the control circuitry recalibrates the calibrated item at predefined time intervals.
23. The electronic system of claim 14 , the coefficient watchdog configured to determine acceptability of the new calibration coefficient by comparing a value of the new calibration coefficient against values at secure calibration coefficient points and rating the new currently active calibration coefficient unacceptable based on a secure calibration vector, the secure calibration vector being a mathematical distance from the new calibration coefficient point selected based on a value and one or more secure calibration coefficient points.
The electronic system that detects if a high-speed signaling bus has been probed, which includes a high-speed bus with a calibrated item, a secure non-volatile storage, control circuitry to recalibrate the calibrated item, and a coefficient watchdog, is configured such that the coefficient watchdog determines if the new calibration value is acceptable by comparing it against stored calibration values. The new calibration value is deemed unacceptable based on a "secure calibration vector," which represents a mathematical distance from the new calibration point selected. This distance is calculated relative to the new calibration value and one or more secure calibration points.
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December 30, 2014
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